Jimi Hendrix Encyclopedia

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April 03, 1967

The Experience returned to London’s Olympic Studios to continue work on their debut album. This significant session resulted in new recordings, overdubs on some unfinished compositions and final mixes for several tracks.

The group focused their initial attention to recording “Highway Chile,” with the 8th and final take being flagged as the master. Work then began on “Waterfall” (as originally marked on the tape box). Studio engineer Eddie Kramer later prepared a four-to-four mix of the 4th take during which time the song was retitled as “May This Be Love.”

Hendrix then focused his attention on “Title #3” and later “Title #4” which eventually became “Are You Experienced?” Despite the the complexities of these recordings, the full song “Are You Experienced?” was completed start-to-finish in this one session.

Before the session came to a close, final mixes were prepared for “May This Be Love,” “Are You Experienced?” and “I Don’t Live Today.”

The stunning initial take of “Title #4” [“Are You Experienced?”] was included on the 2010 Box Set West Coast Seattle Boy as was one of the outtakes of “May This Be Love.”

Tape Log: Highway Chile // Waterfall [aka May This Be Love] // Title #3 // Title #4 [aka Are You Experienced?] // I Don’t Live Today

Returning to London’s Olympic Studios, an additional four-track-to-four-track reduction mix was created for “Are You Experienced?”

Later the group revisited the January 11, 1967 recordings of “Third Stone From The Sun” before redirecting attention to creating both mono and stereo mixes of “Highway Chile.” The mono mix was eventually held back and included alongside a stereo mix of “The Wind Cries Mary” as the trio’s third single in the United Kingdom.

Before the session was completed, Hendrix focused once again on the work completed in December 1966 on the song, “Love Or Confusion” which resulted in a final mix being produced and later included on the debut release of Are You Experienced.

Before the session ended, the group worked on the B.B. King inspired “Here He Comes,” before putting that aside to focus on complete mixes of songs they had earmarked for the new album.”

Tape Log: Are You Experienced? // Third Stone From The Sun // Highway Chile // Love Or Confusion // Here He Comes

Chas Chandler had lacquers created for both mono and stereo mixes of “The Wind Cries Mary” and a mono version of “Highway Chile” which were given to Track Records so manufacturing of The Experience’s forthcoming single could begin.

Returning to Olympic Studios, Manager Chas Chandler guided The Experience back through the April 4th recordings of “Third Stone From The Sun.”

The session featured two non-musical tracks called described on the tape boxes as “Wild Chat” and “Noises” which featured Hendrix and Chandler talking through a variety of science fiction inspired passages. “Noises” featured Hendrix talking about the markings that Engineer George Chkiantz had made on the tape boxes that evening.

Several segments of these recordings, including the classic, “and you’ll never hear surf music again…” were incorporated into the final mix of “Third Stone From The Sun.”

Beginning late in the evening of April 24th and through the early hours of April 25th, Hendrix joined Chas Chandler and Eddie Kramer at Olympic Studios to work on final mixes (stereo and mono) for several songs slated for inclusion on Are You Experienced, including: “Foxey Lady,” “Manic Depression,” “May This Be Love,” “Fire,” “Remember,” “Third Stone From The Sun,” and “Love Or Confusion.”